Integrated circuit package and method of forming same

ABSTRACT

An integrated circuit package and a method of forming the same are provided. A method includes stacking a plurality of integrated circuit dies on a wafer to form a die stack. A bonding process is performed on the die stack. The bonding process mechanically and electrically connects adjacent integrated circuit dies of the die stack to each other. A dam structure is formed over the wafer. The dam structure surrounds the die stack. A first encapsulant is formed over the wafer and between the die stack and the dam structure. The first encapsulant fills gaps between the adjacent integrated circuit dies of the die stack. A second encapsulant is formed over the wafer. The second encapsulant surrounds the die stack, the first encapsulant and the dam structure.

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/697,898, filed on Nov. 27, 2019, which application is a continuationand claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/176,008,filed on Oct. 31, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,529,637, issued on Jan. 7,2020, which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications,such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and otherelectronic equipment. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated bysequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers, conductivelayers, and semiconductive layers of material over a semiconductorsubstrate, and patterning the various material layers using lithographyto form circuit components and elements thereon. Dozens or hundreds ofintegrated circuits are typically manufactured on a single semiconductorwafer. The individual dies are singulated by sawing the integratedcircuits along scribe lines. The individual dies are then packagedseparately, in multi-chip modules, or in other types of packaging.

The semiconductor industry has experienced rapid growth due tocontinuous improvement in the integration density of a variety ofelectronic components (e.g., transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors,etc.). For the most part, this improvement in integration density hascome from repeated reductions in minimum feature size (e.g., shrinkingthe semiconductor process node towards the sub-20 nm node), which allowsmore components to be integrated into a given area. As the demand forminiaturization, higher speed, and greater bandwidth, as well as lowerpower consumption and latency has grown recently, there has grown a needfor smaller and more creative packaging techniques for semiconductordies.

As semiconductor technologies further advance, stacked semiconductordevices, e.g., three dimensional integrated circuits (3DICs), haveemerged as an effective alternative to further reduce the physical sizeof semiconductor devices. In a stacked semiconductor device, activecircuits such as logic, memory, processor circuits, and the like arefabricated on different semiconductor wafers. Two or more semiconductorwafers may be installed or stacked on top of one another to furtherreduce the form factor of the semiconductor device. Package-on-package(POP) devices are one type of 3DICs where dies are packaged and are thenpackaged together with another packaged die or dies. Chip-on-package(COP) devices are another type of 3DICs where dies are packaged and arethen packaged together with another die or dies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIGS. 1-4, 5A, 5B, and 6-11 illustrate top and cross-sectional views ofvarious processing steps during fabrication of integrated circuitpackages in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of forming of integratedcircuit packages in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the invention. Specificexamples of components and arrangements are described below to simplifythe present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and arenot intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a firstfeature over or on a second feature in the description that follows mayinclude embodiments in which the first and second features are formed indirect contact, and may also include embodiments in which additionalfeatures may be formed between the first and second features, such thatthe first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition,the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters inthe various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicityand clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between thevarious embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

Embodiments will be described with respect to embodiments in a specificcontext, namely an integrated circuit package and a method of formingthe same. Other embodiments may also be applied, however, to otherelectrically connected components, including, but not limited to,package-on-package assemblies, die-to-die assemblies, wafer-to-waferassemblies, die-to-substrate assemblies, in assembling packaging, inprocessing substrates, interposers, or the like, or mounting inputcomponents, boards, dies or other components, or for connectionpackaging or mounting combinations of any type of integrated circuit orelectrical component. Various embodiments described herein allow forforming integrated circuit packages by arranging integrated circuit diesinto a die stack and bonding the adjacent integrated circuit dies of thedie stack to one another using a single bonding process applied to thedie stack, without applying an additional external force on the diestack during the bonding process. Various embodiments described hereinfurther allow for forming an encapsulant material in gaps betweenadjacent integrated circuit dies without forming voids in theencapsulant material and allow for improving the gap-filling performanceof the encapsulant material. Various embodiments described hereinfurther allow for reducing wafer warpage during the formation of theintegrated circuit packages.

FIGS. 1-4, 5A, 5B, and 6-11 illustrate top and cross-sectional views ofvarious processing steps during fabrication of integrated circuit (IC)packages in accordance with some embodiments (such as, for example, ICpackages 1001 illustrated in FIG. 10). Referring to FIG. 1, the processstarts with bonding a wafer 105 to a carrier 101 to start forming awafer-level die structure 100. In some embodiments, the wafer 105 isattached to the carrier 101 using an adhesive layer 103. In someembodiments, the carrier 101 may comprise silicon, quartz, ceramic,glass, a combination thereof, or the like, and provides mechanicalsupport for subsequent operations performed on the wafer 105. In someembodiments, the adhesive layer 103 may comprise a light to heatconversion (LTHC) material, a UV adhesive, a polymer layer, acombination thereof, or the like, and may be formed using a spin-oncoating process, a printing process, a lamination process, a combinationthereof, or the like. In some embodiments where the adhesive layer 103is formed of a LTHC material, the adhesive layer 103 when exposed tolight partially or fully loses its adhesive strength and the carrier 101can be easily removed from a back side of the wafer-level die structure100 after the formation of the wafer-level die structure 100 iscompleted.

In some embodiments, the wafer 105 comprises a substrate (notindividually shown), one or more active and/or passive devices (notindividually shown) on the substrate, and an interconnect structure (notindividually shown) over the one or more active and/or passive devicesand the substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate may be formed ofsilicon, although it may also be formed of other group III, group IV,and/or group V elements, such as silicon, germanium, gallium, arsenic,and combinations thereof. The substrate may also be in the form ofsilicon-on-insulator (SOI). The SOI substrate may comprise a layer of asemiconductor material (e.g., silicon, germanium and/or the like) formedover an insulator layer (e.g., buried oxide and/or the like), which isformed on a silicon substrate. In addition, other substrates that may beused include multi-layered substrates, gradient substrates, hybridorientation substrates, any combinations thereof and/or the like.

In some embodiments, the wafer 105 further includes one or more activeand/or passive devices (not individually shown) formed on the substrate.The one or more active and/or passive devices may include various n-typemetal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) and/or p-type metal-oxide semiconductor(PMOS) devices such as transistors, capacitors, resistors, diodes,photo-diodes, fuses and/or the like.

In some embodiments, the wafer 105 further includes an interconnectstructure (not individually shown) formed over the substrate and the oneor more active and/or passive devices. The interconnect structure maycomprise a plurality of dielectric layers (such an inter-layerdielectric (ILD)/inter-metal dielectric layers (IMDs)) and interconnects(such as conductive lines and vias) within the dielectric layers. Thedielectric layers may be formed, for example, of a low-K dielectricmaterial, such as phosphosilicate glass (PSG), borophosphosilicate glass(BPSG), FSG, SiOxCy, Spin-On-Glass, Spin-On-Polymers, silicon carbonmaterial, compounds thereof, composites thereof, combinations thereof,or the like, by any suitable method known in the art, such as a spin-oncoating method, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced CVD(PECVD), a combination thereof, or the like. In some embodiments,interconnects may be formed in the dielectric layers using, for example,a damascene process, a dual damascene process, a combination thereof, orthe like. In some embodiments, interconnects may comprise copper, acopper alloy, silver, gold, tungsten, tantalum, aluminum, a combinationthereof, or the like. In some embodiments, the interconnects may provideelectrical connections between the one or more active and/or passivedevices formed on the substrate.

In some embodiments, the wafer 105 further includes through vias (TVs)111 that extend from a first surface 105A of the wafer 105 toward asecond surface 105B of the wafer 105. In some embodiments, the TVs 111may be formed by forming openings in the wafer 105 and filling theopenings with suitable conductive materials. In some embodiments, theopenings may be formed using suitable photolithography and etchingmethods. In some embodiments, the openings may be filled with copper, acopper alloy, silver, gold, tungsten, tantalum, aluminum, a combinationthereof, or the like, using physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomiclayer deposition (ALD), electro-chemical plating, electroless plating,or a combination thereof, the like. In some embodiments, a liner layerand/or an adhesive/barrier layer may be formed in the openings beforefilling the openings with suitable conductive materials. In someembodiments, a planarization process may be performed on the conductivematerial of the TVs 111 to remove excess portions of the conductivematerial. The planarization process may comprise a chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP) process, a grinding process, an etching process, acombination thereof, or the like.

In some embodiments, the wafer 105 further includes connectors 107formed on the first surface 105A of the wafer 105 and connectors 109formed on the second surface 105B of the wafer 105. In some embodiments,each of the connectors 107 comprises a conductive pillar bump 107A and asolder element 107B over the conductive pillar bump 107A. In someembodiments, the conductive pillar bumps 107A may comprise a conductivematerial such as copper, tungsten, aluminum, silver, gold, a combinationthereof, or the like. In some embodiments, the solder elements 107B maycomprise lead-based solders such as PbSn compositions, lead-free soldersincluding InSb, tin, silver, and copper (“SAC”) compositions, and othereutectic materials that have a common melting point and form conductivesolder connections in electrical applications. For lead-free solders,SAC solders of varying compositions may be used, such as SAC 105 (Sn98.5%, Ag 1.0%, Cu 0.5%), SAC 305, and SAC 405, as examples. Lead-freesolders also include SnCu compounds, without the use of silver (Ag), andSnAg compounds, without the use of copper (Cu).

In some embodiments, a method of forming the conductive pillar bumps107A may comprise forming a conductive seed layer over the first surface105A, forming a sacrificial material (such as, for example, aphotoresist material) over the conductive seed layer, patterning thesacrificial material to form openings in the sacrificial layer,depositing a conductive material in the openings using anelectro-chemical plating process, an electroless plating process, ALD,PVD, a combination thereof, or the like, removing the sacrificial layer,and removing exposed portions of the conductive seed layer. In someembodiments, before removing the sacrificial layer, a solder material isformed over the conductive material of the conductive pillar bumps 107Ain the openings using evaporation, an electro-chemical plating process,an electroless plating process, printing, solder transfer, a combinationthereof, or the like to form the solder elements 107B. In someembodiments, a reflow process may be performed on the solder elements107B in order to shape the solder material into the desired bump shapes.In other embodiments, the connectors 107 may be solder balls, controlledcollapse chip connection (C4) bumps, ball grid array (BGA) balls, microbumps, electroless nickel-electroless palladium-immersion gold technique(ENEPIG) formed bumps, combinations thereof, or the like.

In some embodiments, the connectors 109 may be similar to and may beformed using similar materials and methods as the connectors 107 and thedescription is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, each of theconnectors 109 comprises a conductive pillar bump 109A and a solderelement 109B over the conductive pillar bump 109A. In some embodiments,the conductive pillar bumps 109A may be formed using similar materialsand methods as the conductive pillar bumps 107A and the description isnot repeated herein. In some embodiments, the solder elements 109B maybe formed using similar materials and methods as the solder elements107B and the description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, noreflow process is performed after the solder elements 109B are formed.

In some embodiment, the wafer 105 may be an interposer wafer. In suchembodiments, the wafer 105 may not include the one or more active and/orpassive devices on the substrate. In other embodiments, the wafer 105may be an IC wafer. In such embodiments, the wafer 105 includes the oneor more active and/or passive devices on the substrate.

Referring to FIG. 2, IC dies 201A are placed on the wafer 105 to startforming die stacks (such as die stacks 401 illustrated in FIG. 4) on thewafer 105. The IC dies 201A may comprise a logic die, a memory die, aCPU, a GPU, an xPU, a MEMS die, a SoC die, or the like. In someembodiment, each of the IC die 201A may comprise a substrate (notindividually illustrated), one or more active and/or passive devices(not individually illustrated) on the substrate, and an interconnectstructure (not individually illustrated) over the substrate and the oneor more active and/or passive devices. In some embodiments, thesubstrate of the IC dies 201A may be formed using similar materials andmethod as the substrate of the wafer 105 described above with referenceto FIG. 1 and the description is not repeated herein. In someembodiments, the one or more active and/or passive devices of the ICdies 201A may be formed using similar materials and method as the one ormore active and/or passive devices of the wafer 105 described above withreference to FIG. 1 and the description is not repeated herein. In someembodiments, the interconnect structure of the IC dies 201A may beformed using similar materials and method as the interconnect structureof the wafer 105 described above with reference to FIG. 1 and thedescription is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, the IC dies201A may have thickness between about 20 μm and about 50 μm.

In some embodiments, each of the IC dies 201A further includes throughvias (TVs) 203A that extend from a lower surface of the IC die 201Atoward an upper surface of the IC die 201A, connectors 205A on the lowersurface of the IC die 201A, and connectors 207A on the upper surface ofthe IC die 201A. In some embodiments, the TVs 203A may be formed usingsimilar materials and methods as the TVs 111 described above withreference to FIG. 1 and the description is not repeated herein. In someembodiments, the connectors 205A and 207A may be similar to and may beformed using similar materials and methods as the connectors 107described above with reference to FIG. 1 and the description is notrepeated herein. In some embodiments, each of the connectors 205A maycomprise a conductive pillar bump 205A₁ and a solder element 205A₂ overthe conductive pillar bump 205A₁. In some embodiments, the conductivepillar bumps 205A₁ may be formed using similar materials and methods asthe conductive pillar bumps 107A described above with reference to FIG.1 and the description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, thesolder elements 205A₂ may be formed using similar materials and methodsas the solder elements 107B described above with reference to FIG. 1 andthe description is not repeated herein.

In some embodiments, each of the connectors 207A may comprise aconductive pillar bump 207A₁ and a solder element 207A₂ over theconductive pillar bump 207A₁. In some embodiments, the conductive pillarbumps 207A₁ may be formed using similar materials and methods as theconductive pillar bumps 107A described above with reference to FIG. 1and the description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, thesolder elements 207A₂ may be formed using similar materials and methodsas the solder elements 107B described above with reference to FIG. 1 andthe description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, no reflowprocess is performed after the solder elements 205A₂ and 207A₂ areformed.

Referring further to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the IC dies 201A maybe placed on the wafer 105 using a pick-and-place apparatus. In otherembodiments, the IC dies 201A may be placed on the wafer 105 manually,or using any other suitable methods. In some embodiments, the IC dies201A are dipped in a flux material 209 before placing the IC dies 201Aon the wafer 105. In some embodiments, the flux material 209 pre-bondsthe IC dies 201A to the wafer 105. In some embodiments, the IC dies 201Amay be aligned with respect to the connectors 109 of the wafer 105, suchthat the connectors 205A of the IC dies 201A are placed on theconnectors 109 of the wafer 105. In some embodiments, during placing theIC dies 201A on the wafer 105 or after placing the IC dies 201A on thewafer 105 but before placing additional IC dies on the IC dies 201A, noadditional external force (such as a force different from thegravitational force due to a weight of the IC dies 201A) is applied tothe IC dies 201A. In some embodiments, during placing the IC dies 201Aon the wafer 105 or after placing the IC dies 201A on the wafer 105 butbefore placing additional IC dies on the IC dies 201A, no additionalprocess steps are performed to pre-bond or bond the connectors 205A ofthe IC dies 201A to the connectors 109 of the wafer 105.

Referring to FIG. 3, IC dies 201B-201G and 301 are placed over therespective IC dies 201A to form pre-bonded die stacks 305 on the wafer105. In some embodiments, IC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . , G) may besimilar to the IC dies 201A described above with reference to FIG. 2 andthe description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, each of theIC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . , G) further includes through vias(TVs) 203X (with X=B, C, . . . , G) that extend from lower surfaces ofthe IC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . , G) toward upper surfaces of theIC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . , G), connectors 205X (with X=B, C, . .. , G) on the lower surfaces of the IC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . ,G), and connectors 207X (with X=B, C, . . . , G) on the upper surfacesof the IC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . , G). Each of the connectors205X (with X=B, C, . . . , G) comprised a conductive pillar bump 205X₁(with X=B, C, . . . , G) and a solder element 205X₂ (with X=B, C, . . ., G) over the conductive pillar bump 205X₁ (with X=B, C, . . . , G). Insome embodiments, the conductive pillar bumps 205X₁ (with X=B, C, . . ., G) may be formed using similar materials and methods as the conductivepillar bumps 107A described above with reference to FIG. 1 and thedescription is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, the solderelements 205X₂ (with X=B, C, . . . , G) may be formed using similarmaterials and methods as the solder elements 107B described above withreference to FIG. 1 and the description is not repeated herein. Each ofthe connectors 207X (with X=B, C, . . . , G) comprises a conductivepillar bump 207X₁ (with X=B, C, . . . , G) and a solder element 207X₂(with X=B, C, . . . , G) over the conductive pillar bump 207X₁ (withX=B, C, . . . , G). In some embodiments, the conductive pillar bumps207X₁ (with X=B, C, . . . , G) may be formed using similar materials andmethods as the conductive pillar bumps 107A described above withreference to FIG. 1 and the description is not repeated herein. In someembodiments, the solder elements 207X₂ (with X=B, C, . . . , G) may beformed using similar materials and methods as the solder elements 107Bdescribed above with reference to FIG. 1 and the description is notrepeated herein. In some embodiments, no reflow process is performedafter the solder elements 205X₂ (with X=B, C, . . . , G) and 207X₂ (withX=B, C, . . . , G) are formed. In some embodiments, the IC dies 201X(with X=A, B, C, . . . , G) may have a same thickness. In otherembodiments, the IC dies 201X (with X=A, B, C, . . . , G) may havedifferent thicknesses.

In some embodiments, IC dies 301 may be similar to the IC dies 201X(with X=A, B, C, . . . , G) and the description is not repeated herein.In some embodiments, the IC dies 301 have a greater thickness than eachof the IC dies 201X (with X=A, B, C, . . . , G). In some embodiments,each of the IC dies 301 further includes connectors 303 on the lowersurfaces of the IC dies 301. Each of the connectors 303 comprises aconductive pillar bump 303 ₁ and a solder element 303 ₂ over theconductive pillar bump 303 ₁. In some embodiments, the conductive pillarbumps 303 ₁ may be formed using similar materials and methods as theconductive pillar bumps 107A described above with reference to FIG. 1and the description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, thesolder elements 303 ₂ may be formed using similar materials and methodsas the solder elements 107B described above with reference to FIG. 1 andthe description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, no reflowprocess is performed on the pre-bonded die stack 305 after the solderelements 303 ₂ are formed.

Referring further to FIG. 3, the IC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . , G)and 301 are stacked over the respective IC dies 201A using a methodsimilar to the method of placing IC dies 201A on the wafer 105 describedabove with reference to FIG. 2 and the description is not repeatedherein. In some embodiments, the IC dies 201X (with X=B, C, . . . , G)and 301 are dipped in a flux material 209 before placing them overprevious IC dies to form pre-bonded die stacks 305. In some embodiments,the flux material 209 pre-bonds adjacent IC dies (such as IC dies 201Aand 201B, IC dies 201B and 201C, IC dies 201C and 201D, IC dies 201D and201E, IC dies 201E and 201F, IC dies 201F and 201G, and IC dies 201G and301) of the pre-bonded die stack 305 to form the pre-bonded die stack305. In some embodiment, during the formation of the pre-bonded diestack 305, no additional external force (such as a force different fromthe gravitational force due to a weight of the IC dies) is applied tothe IC dies (with X=B, C, . . . , G) and 301. In some embodiments,during the formation of the pre-bonded die stack 305, no additionalprocess steps are performed to pre-bond or bond the connectors 207A tothe connectors 205B, the connectors 207B to the connectors 205C, theconnectors 207C to the connectors 205D, the connectors 207D to theconnectors 205E, the connectors 207E to the connectors 205F, theconnectors 207F to the connectors 205G, and the connectors 207G to theconnectors 303.

Referring to FIG. 4, a single bonding process is performed on thepre-bonded die stacks 305 (see FIG. 3) to form bonded die stacks 401.The single bonding process bonds each of the connectors 109 (see FIG. 3)to a respective one of the connectors 205A (see FIG. 3) to formconnector joints 403A, each of the connectors 207A (see FIG. 3) to arespective one of the connectors 205B (see FIG. 3) to form connectorjoints 403B, each of the connectors 207B (see FIG. 3) to a respectiveone of the connectors 205C (see FIG. 3) to form connector joints 403C,each of the connectors 207C (see FIG. 3) to a respective one of theconnectors 205D (see FIG. 3) to form connector joints 403D, each of theconnectors 207D (see FIG. 3) to a respective one of the connectors 205E(see FIG. 3) to form connector joints 403E, each of the connectors 207E(see FIG. 3) to a respective one of the connectors 205F (see FIG. 3) toform connector joints 403F, each of the connectors 207F (see FIG. 3) toa respective one of the connectors 205G (see FIG. 3) to form connectorjoints 403G, each of the connectors 207G (see FIG. 3) to a respectiveone of the connectors 303 (see FIG. 3) to form connector joints 403H.For each of the bonded die stacks 401, the single bonding processmechanically and electrically couples the IC dies 201A-201G and 301 toeach other.

In some embodiment, the single bonding process is a solder reflowprocess. The solder reflow process reflows the solder elements 109B ofthe connectors 109 (see FIG. 3) and the solder elements 205A₂ of theconnectors 205A (see FIG. 3) into solder joints 401A of the respectiveconnector joints 403A, the solder elements 207A₂ of the connectors 207A(see FIG. 3) and the solder elements 205B₂ of the connectors 205B (seeFIG. 3) into solder joints 401B of the respective connector joints 403B,the solder elements 207B₂ of the connectors 207B (see FIG. 3) and thesolder elements 205C₂ of the connectors 205C (see FIG. 3) into solderjoints 401C of the respective connector joints 403C, the solder elements207C₂ of the connectors 207C (see FIG. 3) and the solder elements 205D₂of the connectors 205D (see FIG. 3) into solder joints 401D of therespective connector joints 403D, the solder elements 207D₂ of theconnectors 207D (see FIG. 3) and the solder elements 205E₂ of theconnectors 205E (see FIG. 3) into solder joints 401E of the respectiveconnector joints 403E, the solder elements 207E₂ of the connectors 207E(see FIG. 3) and the solder elements 205F₂ of the connectors 205F (seeFIG. 3) into solder joints 401F of the respective connector joints 403F,the solder elements 207F₂ of the connectors 207F (see FIG. 3) and thesolder elements 205G₂ of the connectors 205G (see FIG. 3) into solderjoints 401G of the respective connector joints 403G, and the solderelements 207G₂ of the connectors 207G (see FIG. 3) and the solderelements 303 ₂ of the connectors 303 (see FIG. 3) into solder joints401H of the respective connector joints 403H. In some embodiment, duringperforming the single bonding process, no additional external force(such as a force different from the gravitational force due to a weightof the IC dies 201A-201G and 301) is applied to the pre-bonded diestacks 305 (see FIG. 3). In other embodiments, the single bondingprocess is a thermal compression bonding process, or the like. In someembodiments, after forming the connector joints 403A-403H, the fluxmaterial 209 (see FIG. 3) is removed using a suitable removal process.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the formation dam structures 501 around thebonded die stacks 401. FIG. 5A illustrates a top view. FIG. 5Billustrates a cross-sectional view along a line AA shown in FIG. 5A.FIGS. 5A and 5B show the bonded die stacks 401 attached to the wafer 105and separated from each other by scribe lines 503 of the wafer 105. Insome embodiments, the dam structures 501 are annular structures thatsurround respective bonded die stacks 401. In some embodiments, the damstructures 501 are within areas of the wafer 105 separated by the scribelines 503. In some embodiments, the dam structures 501 do not overlapwith the scribe lines 503. In some embodiments, each of the damstructures 501 may comprise metallic materials, polymer materials,dielectric materials, insulating materials, combinations thereof, or thelike. In some embodiments, a material of the dam structures 501 isformed over exposed portions of the wafer 105 and subsequently patternedto form dam structures 501. In some embodiments, the patterning processmay include suitable photolithography and etching processes. In otherembodiments, the dam structures 501 may be formed using a printingprocess, a lamination process, a dispensing process, a combinationthereof, or the like. In some embodiments, the dam structures 501 have aheight H₁ and a width W₁ in a cross-section illustrated in FIG. 5B. Insome embodiments, the height H₁ of the dam structures 501 is less than aheight H₂ of the bonded die stacks 401. In some embodiment, the heightH₁ is between about 20 μm and about 1000 μm. In some embodiment, theheight H₂ is between about 50 μm and about 1000 μm. In some embodiment,the width W₁ is between about 50 μm and about 1000 μm. In someembodiment, a ratio of H₁/H₂ is between about 0.1 and about 2. In someembodiment, a ratio of H₁/W₁ is between about 0.1 and about 10.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5A, a plan-view shape of each ofthe dam structures 501 is a rectangular annular shape. In someembodiments, an outer perimeter of the rectangular annular shape has afirst width W₂ between about 5 mm and about 50 mm and a second width W₃between about 5 mm and about 50 mm. In some embodiments, a ratio ofW₂/W₃ is between about 0.1 and about 10. In some embodiments, a distanceD₁ between the rectangular annular shape and the respective one of thedie stacks 401 is between about 50 μm and about 2000 μm. In otherembodiments, a plan-view shape of each of the dam structures 501 may bea square annular shape 601, a circular annular shape 603, an ellipticalannular shape 605, or the like as illustrated in FIG. 6. In someembodiments, plan-view shapes of the dam structures 501 may be adjustedbased on plan-view shapes of the bonded die stacks 401.

Referring to FIG. 7, after forming the dam structures 501 around thebonded die stacks 401, an underfill 701 is formed in openings of the damstructures 501 and around the die stacks 401. In some embodiments, theunderfill 701 is further formed in gaps between adjacent ones of the ICdies 201A-201G and 301 of the bonded die stacks 401 and in gaps betweenthe IC dies 201A and the wafer 105. The underfill 701 surrounds andprotects the connector joints 403A-403H. In some embodiments, a liquidunderfill material is dispensed by capillary action and cured to formthe underfill 701. In some embodiments, the underfill 701 includes anepoxy-based resin with fillers dispersed therein. The fillers mayinclude fibers, particles, other suitable elements, a combinationthereof, or the like. In some embodiments, by forming the dam structures501, lateral spreading of the underfill 701 is contained, which improvesgap-filling properties of the underfill 701. In some embodiments,material properties of the underfill 701 may be further altered toimprove the gap-filling properties of the underfill 701. In someembodiment, size of the fillers dispersed in an underfill material ofthe underfill 701 may be reduced. In some embodiment, an underfillmaterial of the underfill 701 may be chosen to have a glass transitiontemperature T_(g) between about 40° C. and about 200° C. In someembodiment, an underfill material of the underfill 701 may be chosen tohave a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between about 5 ppm/° C.and about 50 ppm/° C. In some embodiment, an underfill material of theunderfill 701 may be chosen to have a Young's Modulus between about 0.1GPa and about 20 GPa. In the illustrated embodiment, the dam structures501 prevent the underfill 701 from forming a continuous layer over thewafer 105, which may prevent warpage of the wafer 105 due to mismatch ofCTEs and, as a consequence, may reduce or prevent joint failure of theconnector joints 403A-403H. In some embodiments, the underfill 701 hassloped sidewalls.

Referring to FIG. 8, after forming the underfill 701, an encapsulant 801is formed over the wafer 105 and surrounding the die stacks 401 and thedam structures 501. In some embodiments, the encapsulant 801 maycomprise a molding compound, such as an epoxy, a resin, a moldablepolymer, a combination thereof, or the like, with fillers dispersedtherein. The molding compound may be applied while substantially liquid,and then may be cured through a chemical reaction. The fillers mayinclude insulating fibers, insulating particles, other suitableelements, a combination thereof, or the like. In some embodiments, theencapsulant 801 may be formed using similar materials and methods as theunderfill 701 described above with reference to FIG. 7 and thedescription is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, the encapsulant801 and the underfill 701 comprise a same material. In some embodiments,the encapsulant 801 and the underfill 701 comprise different materials.In some embodiments, the size and/or density of the fillers dispersed inthe encapsulant 801 is greater than those dispersed in the underfill701. In other embodiments, the encapsulant 801 may be an ultraviolet(UV) or thermally cured polymer applied as a gel or malleable solidcapable of being disposed around and between the die stacks 401 and thedam structures 501. In yet other embodiments, the encapsulant 801 maycomprise a dielectric material, such as an oxide, for example. In someembodiments, a planarization process may be performed on the encapsulant801 to remove excess portions of the encapsulant 801, such that atopmost surface of the encapsulant 801 is substantially level withtopmost surfaces of the die stacks 401. In some embodiments, theplanarization process may also remove upper portions of the IC dies 301and thin the IC dies 301. In some embodiments, the planarization processmay comprise a CMP process, an etching process, grinding, a combinationthereof, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 9, after forming the encapsulant 801, the carrier 101is de-bonded from the wafer-level die structure 100. In someembodiments, after de-bonding the carrier 101 from the wafer-level diestructure 100, the adhesive layer 103 is also removed to expose theconnectors 107. In some embodiments, the adhesive layer 103 may beremoved using a suitable cleaning process.

Referring to FIG. 10, after de-bonding the carrier 101 from thewafer-level die structure 100, the wafer-level die structure 100 issingulated along the scribe lines 503 (see FIG. 5A) to form individualIC packages 1001. In some embodiments, each of the IC packages 1001includes a bonded die stack 401 and a corresponding dam structure 501.In some embodiments, the wafer-level die structure 100 may be singulatedinto individual IC packages 1001, for example, by sawing, laserablation, etching, a combination thereof, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 11, in some embodiments, an IC package 1001 ismechanically and electrically attached to a workpiece 1101 using theconnectors 107. In some embodiments, a reflow process may be performedto bond the IC package 1001 to the workpiece 1101. In some embodiments,the workpiece 1101 may comprise an integrated circuit die, a packagesubstrate, a printed circuit board (PCB), a ceramic substrate, or thelike.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1200 of forming ofintegrated circuit packages in accordance with some embodiments. Themethod starts with step 1201, where a wafer (such as, for example, thewafer 105 illustrated in FIG. 1) is attached to a carrier (such as, forexample, the carrier 101 illustrated in FIG. 1) as described above withreference to FIG. 1. In step 1203, integrated circuit dies (such as, forexample, the IC dies 201A-201G and 301 illustrated in FIG. 3) are placedon the wafer to form a die stack (such as, for example, the die stack305 illustrated in FIG. 3) as described above with reference to FIGS. 2and 3. In step 1205, a single bonding process is performed on the diestack as described above with reference to FIG. 4. In step 1207, a damstructure (such as, for example, the dam structure 501 illustrated inFIG. 5) is formed over the wafer and around the die stack as describedabove with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. In step 1209, a firstencapsulant (such as, for example, the underfill 701 illustrated in FIG.7) is formed within the dam structure and around the die stack asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 7. In step 1211, a secondencapsulant (such as, for example, the encapsulant 801 illustrated inFIG. 8) is formed over the wafer and around the dam structure, the diestack, and the first encapsulant as described above with reference toFIG. 8. In step 1213, the carrier is de-bonded from a resultingstructure (such as, for example, the wafer-level die structure 100illustrated in FIG. 9) as described above with reference to FIG. 9. Instep 1215, the resulting structure is singulated into individualintegrated circuit packages (such as, for example, the IC packagesillustrated in FIG. 10) as described above with reference to FIG. 10.

In accordance with an embodiment, a method includes: stacking aplurality of integrated circuit dies on a wafer to form a die stack;performing a bonding process on the die stack, the bonding processmechanically and electrically connecting adjacent integrated circuitdies of the die stack to each other; forming a dam structure over thewafer, the dam structure surrounding the die stack; forming a firstencapsulant over the wafer and between the die stack and the damstructure, the first encapsulant filling gaps between the adjacentintegrated circuit dies of the die stack; and forming a secondencapsulant over the wafer, the second encapsulant surrounding the diestack, the first encapsulant and the dam structure. In an embodiment,the method further includes, before stacking the plurality of integratedcircuit dies on the wafer, attaching the wafer to a carrier. In anembodiment, performing the bonding process includes performing a solderreflow process. In an embodiment, stacking the plurality of integratedcircuit dies on the wafer includes dipping each of the plurality ofintegrated circuit dies in a flux material before placing each of theplurality of integrated circuit dies on the wafer. In an embodiment,performing the bonding process on the die stack includes forming aplurality of connector joints between the adjacent integrated circuitdies of the die stack. In an embodiment, the dam structure is an annularstructure. In an embodiment, the die stack and the first encapsulant aredisposed in an opening of the dam structure.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method includes: placing afirst integrated circuit die on a wafer, the wafer including firstconnectors on a first side of the wafer, the first integrated circuitdie including second connectors on a first side of the first integratedcircuit die and third connectors on a second side of the firstintegrated circuit die, the first side of the first integrated circuitdie being opposite the second side of the first integrated circuit die,the first connectors being in contact with the second connectors;placing a second integrated circuit die on the first integrated circuitdie, the second integrated circuit die including fourth connectors on afirst side of the second integrated circuit die and fifth connectors ona second side of the second integrated circuit die, the first side ofthe second integrated circuit die being opposite the second side of thesecond integrated circuit die, the third connectors being in contactwith the fourth connectors; performing a bonding process on the firstintegrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die, thebonding process bonding the first connectors and the second connectorsto form first connector joints, the bonding process bonding the thirdconnectors and the fourth connectors to form second connector joints;forming a dam structure over the wafer, the dam structure surroundingthe first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die;forming a first encapsulant over the wafer and around the firstconnector joints and the second connector joints; and forming a secondencapsulant over the wafer, the second encapsulant surrounding the firstintegrated circuit die, the second integrated circuit die, the firstencapsulant and the dam structure. In an embodiment, performing thebonding process includes performing a solder reflow process on the firstconnectors, the second connectors, the third connectors and the fourthconnectors. In an embodiment, the bonding process merges a first solderlayer of each of the first connectors with a second solder layer of arespective one of the second connectors to form a first single solderlayer. In an embodiment, the bonding process merges a third solder layerof each of the third connectors with a fourth solder layer of arespective one of the fourth connectors to form a second single solderlayer. In an embodiment, the method further includes, before placing thefirst integrated circuit die on the wafer, dipping the first integratedcircuit die in a flux material. In an embodiment, the method furtherincludes, before placing the second integrated circuit die on the wafer,dipping the second integrated circuit die in the flux material. In anembodiment, a first sidewall of the dam structure is in contact with thefirst encapsulant, a second sidewall of the dam structure is in contactwith the second encapsulant, and the first sidewall of the dam structureis opposite the second sidewall of the dam structure.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a package includes: asubstrate; a dam structure over the substrate, the dam structure beingan annular structure; a die stack over the substrate and within anopening of the dam structure, the die stack including a plurality ofintegrated circuit dies and connector joints between adjacent integratedcircuit dies of the plurality of integrated circuit dies; a firstencapsulant extending along sidewalls of the plurality of integratedcircuit dies, the first encapsulant surrounding the connector joints;and a second encapsulant surrounding the die stack, the firstencapsulant and the dam structure. In an embodiment, the firstencapsulant fills the opening of the dam structure. In an embodiment, afirst sidewall of the dam structure is in contact with the firstencapsulant, a second sidewall of the dam structure is in contact withthe second encapsulant, and the first sidewall of the dam structure isopposite the second sidewall of the dam structure. In an embodiment, thefirst encapsulant has sloped sidewalls. In an embodiment, a topmostsurface of the die stack is level with a topmost surface of the secondencapsulant. In an embodiment, a sidewall of the second encapsulant iscoplanar with a sidewall of the substrate.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a package includes: asubstrate; a dam structure attached to the substrate, the dam structurebeing an annular structure; a die stack within a hole of the damstructure and attached to the substrate, a height of the die stack beinggreater than a height of the dam structure; a first encapsulant fillingthe hole of the dam structure; and a second encapsulant surrounding thedie stack, the first encapsulant and the dam structure.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a package includes: asubstrate; a die stack bonded to the substrate, the die stack includinga plurality of integrated circuit dies, wherein each pair of adjacentintegrated circuit dies of the plurality of integrated circuit dies areelectrically and mechanically coupled to one another by connectorjoints; a first encapsulant extending along sidewalls of the pluralityof integrated circuit dies and sidewalls of the connector joints; asecond encapsulant surrounding the die stack and the first encapsulant;and a dam structure embedded within the first encapsulant and the secondencapsulant, wherein the dam structure encircles the die stack, whereinthe first encapsulant extends along a first sidewall and a top surfaceof the dam structure, wherein the second encapsulant extends along asecond sidewall and the top surface of the dam structure, and whereinthe first sidewall of the dam structure is opposite to the secondsidewall of the dam structure.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a method includes: stacking aplurality of integrated circuit dies on a wafer to form a die stack;performing a bonding process on the die stack, wherein the bondingprocess mechanically and electrically connects adjacent integratedcircuit dies of the die stack to each other; attaching a dam structureto the wafer, the die stack extending through a hole in the damstructure; filling the hole in the dam structure with a firstencapsulant, wherein the first encapsulant further fills gaps betweenthe adjacent integrated circuit dies of the die stack; and forming asecond encapsulant over the wafer, wherein the second encapsulantextends along a sidewall of the first encapsulant and along a sidewalland a top surface of the dam structure.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a package includes asubstrate and a dam structure attached to the substrate. The damstructure is an annular structure. The package further includes a diestack extending through the dam structure and attached to the substrateand a first encapsulant surrounding the die stack and extending throughthe dam structure. A topmost surface of the die stack is above a topmostsurface of the dam structure.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a package includes asubstrate and a die stack bonded to the substrate. The die stackincludes a plurality of integrated circuit dies. Each pair of adjacentintegrated circuit dies of the plurality of integrated circuit dies areelectrically and mechanically coupled to one another by connectorjoints. The package further includes a first encapsulant extending alongsidewalls of the plurality of integrated circuit dies and sidewalls ofthe connector joints and a dam structure embedded within the firstencapsulant. The dam structure is an annular structure. The damstructure surrounds the die stack. The first encapsulant is in physicalcontact with an inner sidewall and a top surface of the dam structure.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a method includes stacking aplurality of integrated circuit dies on a wafer to form a die stack. Abonding process is performed on the die stack. The bonding processmechanically and electrically connects adjacent integrated circuit diesof the die stack to each other. A dam structure is attached to thewafer. The die stack extends through a hole in the dam structure. Thehole in the dam structure is filled with a first encapsulant. The firstencapsulant extends along sidewalls of the plurality of integratedcircuit dies of the die stack.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A package comprising: a substrate; a damstructure attached to the substrate, the dam structure being an annularstructure; a die stack extending through the dam structure and attachedto the substrate, the dam structure being a continues structureextending along all sides of the die stack in a plan view, a topmostsurface of the die stack being above a topmost surface of the damstructure, a topmost surface of at least one die of the die stack beingbelow the topmost surface of the dam structure; and a first encapsulantsurrounding the die stack and extending through the dam structure. 2.The package of claim 1, wherein the first encapsulant is in physicalcontact with an inner sidewall and the topmost surface of the damstructure.
 3. The package of claim 1, wherein the first encapsulant hasa sloped sidewall.
 4. The package of claim 1, further comprising asecond encapsulant surrounding the die stack, the first encapsulant andthe dam structure, wherein the topmost surface of the die stack is levelwith a topmost surface of the second encapsulant.
 5. The package ofclaim 4, wherein the second encapsulant is in physical contact with anouter sidewall and the topmost surface of the dam structure.
 6. Thepackage of claim 4, wherein the second encapsulant has a slopedsidewall.
 7. The package of claim 4, wherein the first encapsulant andthe second encapsulant comprise different materials.
 8. A packagecomprising: a substrate; a die stack bonded to the substrate, the diestack comprising a plurality of integrated circuit dies, wherein eachpair of adjacent integrated circuit dies of the plurality of integratedcircuit dies are electrically and mechanically coupled to one another byconnector joints; a first encapsulant extending along sidewalls of theplurality of integrated circuit dies and sidewalls of the connectorjoints; and a dam structure embedded within the first encapsulant,wherein the dam structure is an annular structure, wherein the damstructure is a continuous structure and completely surrounds the diestack, wherein a top surface of the dam structure is above a top surfaceof at least one of the plurality of integrated circuit dies, and whereinthe first encapsulant is in physical contact with an inner sidewall anda top surface of the dam structure.
 9. The package of claim 8, whereinthe first encapsulant is in physical contact with a sidewall of atopmost integrated circuit die of the die stack.
 10. The package ofclaim 9, wherein a top surface of the first encapsulant is level with atop surface of the topmost integrated circuit die of the die stack. 11.The package of claim 8, further comprising a second encapsulantsurrounding the die stack, the first encapsulant and the dam structure,wherein the second encapsulant is in physical contact with an outersidewall and the top surface of the dam structure.
 12. The package ofclaim 11, wherein a sidewall of the second encapsulant is coplanar witha sidewall of the substrate.
 13. The package of claim 8, wherein thefirst encapsulant is in physical contact with the sidewalls of theplurality of integrated circuit dies and the sidewalls of the connectorjoints.
 14. The package of claim 8, wherein the dam structure comprisesa dielectric material.
 15. A method comprising: stacking a plurality ofintegrated circuit dies on a wafer to form a die stack; performing abonding process on the die stack, wherein the bonding processmechanically and electrically connects adjacent integrated circuit diesof the die stack to each other; attaching a dam structure to the wafer,the die stack extending through a hole in the dam structure, a topsurface of at least one of the plurality of integrated circuit diesbeing below a top surface of the dam structure; and filling the hole inthe dam structure with a first encapsulant, wherein the firstencapsulant extends along sidewalls of the plurality of integratedcircuit dies of the die stack.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinstacking the plurality of integrated circuit dies on the wafer comprisesdipping each of the plurality of integrated circuit dies in a fluxmaterial before placing each of the plurality of integrated circuit dieson the wafer.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein performing the bondingprocess comprises performing a solder reflow process.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein performing the bonding process comprisessimultaneously forming a plurality of connector joints between theadjacent integrated circuit dies of the die stack.
 19. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising depositing a second encapsulant over thedie stack, the dam structure and the first encapsulant, wherein a topsurface of the second encapsulant is level with a top surface of the diestack.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein a width of the firstencapsulant is greater than a width of the hole in the dam structure.